Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

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Man is proud of his wisdom.  He is proud of his wisdom to do good works which wise works he thinks deserves salvation.  He is even proud of his wisdom to decide to accept Christ which wise “free-will” decision he thinks deserves salvation. 

We see this pride in Naaman, a general in the Syrian army, “a great man”, “highly respected”, and a “valiant warrior”.  Naaman had leprosy and sought out Elisha in Israel to be healed.

“So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha.  Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”

But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’  Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Could I not wash in them and be clean?”  So he turned and went away in a rage.

Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?  How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”  So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.”  2 Kings 5:9-14. 

Stories like this one in the Old Testament were written for our benefit to help us understand that we do not come to salvation through our own wisdom, but rather, we come to salvation through what appears to some as foolishness.     

God will not share even one percent credit for man’s salvation with man.  Man’s works do not earn any credit.  Man’s “free-will” does not earn any credit.  Man’s wisdom does not earn any credit.  “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:16.  God gets all the credit for man’s salvation.

“so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:29-31.

“Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints” (the U-L-I-P of “TULIP”) appear as foolishness to some, “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”.  These are all “His doing“.